Old-time offense helps Greyhounds produce new start

The Greyhounds won a total of seven games in the previous three seasons. But as nondistrict play finishes in 2004, Gruver has a 4-1 record and hits the District 1-1A slate with momentum.

"This is an exciting time," first-year Gruver coach Terry Felderhoff said. "You know how it is in a small town. The whole community is excited. The kids are excited, and they've got a great attitude. They want to do what it takes to be successful. It's a lot easier to coach when the kids are smiling at the fieldhouse."

The Greyhounds won their first two games against Boys Ranch (30-0) and Texhoma, Okla. (13-0). After losing to Panhandle 24-14, they rebounded to beat Highland Park 28-10. Last week, Gruver earned its third shutout by beating Claude, 41-0.

The 4-1 start is far removed from Gruver's 3-7 finish last season.

"We really put a lot of work in this summer. We've known since we were sophomores that this was going to be our year, not just in football but every sport," Greyhound senior Brock Irwin said. "We had guys in the weight room every day. We've been playing together since we were sophomores, so it's all starting to come together. We know what the other guys are going to do. If somebody makes a big hit, everybody on the defense is up in the tackler's face encouraging him. We're really together as a team."

One key to the Greyhounds' success is their unique offense. In an age when the shotgun spread offense has taken the Panhandle by storm, Gruver makes its lunch money with the old-fashioned wishbone option. The Greyhounds feature a balanced rushing attack that controls the clock and averages 298 yards a game. Three Greyhounds have gained from 308 to 267 yards, led by Irwin's 308. Matt Messer has 284 and Tyler Lane has 267 rushing yards this season.

"The teams running the wishbone are few and far between," Felderhoff said. "I prefer to run the ball. When the spread offenses started, they were difficult to prepare for because you didn't see them very often. Now it's kind of the reverse. You don't see teams running like we do, so it's hard for them to prepare for us. When you defense the wishbone, you've got to play assignment football and it takes a lot of discipline."

"I like it a lot. It's nice to have so many guys here who can actually run the option," Gruver senior Cody Mac Been said. "We've been hurting defenses by running the option and the sweep. Our line's been doing a great job of blocking. It's a fun offense to run, especially with all the backs we have."

Gruver came of age in the loss to Panhandle. The Greyhounds played even with the defending Class 2A state semifinalists most of the game before losing.

"Oddly enough, that loss was when we knew this year was going to be different," Been said. "We just had three minutes in the second quarter when we didn't play well. But we came back and played right with them the rest of the game. That's what impressed me. In past years, we would have closed the book after that one bad stretch, but we came back and kept playing hard."

The Greyhounds are off this week, but they start district Oct. 8 against one of the big boys - fourth-ranked Stratford. Two weeks later, the Greyhounds hit the road to seventh-ranked Sunray.

"When I first interviewed for this job, they asked me if I realized who we were in a district with," Felderhoff said. "But honestly, the kids have a lot of confidence. They've had success against Stratford and Sunray on the sub-varsity level and they know what to expect. We know in this district every game is going to be a dogfight."